Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
by The Weapon Master
Summary: A simple mission. Yeah, right. CobyxVivi
1. Above and Beyond

Well, let's get this started.

This is more of a thank you than anything else. This is for nekked, for finding the time to tell me what she thought of my story and helping to improve it.

A little CobyxVivi for your reading pleasure.

* * *

Above and Beyond

A simple escort mission.

That's what Garp had said.

Coby should have learned by now: nothing that Garp had them do could be considered simple.

The man himself could not be with them, since he'd been called back to Marine Headquarters to give a report on how the Strawhat Pirates had escaped him at Water 7.

So Coby, along with Helmeppo, were given orders to escort the princess of Alabasta, Nefeltari Vivi, to Mariejois for the purpose of viewing one of the Council of Kings.

They would arrive in Alabasta, pick up the princess, and begin the long voyage to Mariejois.

Once there, they would then escort her to the room where all the kings were discussing pertinent issues and the World Government's security would take over from there.

She would be returning with her father, Nefeltari Cobra, the king of Alabasta, and his personal bodyguards, so Coby and Helmeppo were free to do as they pleased.

Sounded simple enough.

* * *

Things went smoothly enough. The princess was well loved in her home country and few pirates dared attack a Marine ship, so all was relatively peaceful.

Taking advantage of the long and quiet boat ride, Coby observed the princess.

Light blue hair framed a pretty face, and her pale skin, an oddity considering her native climate, accentuated this feature.

Her clothes were beautiful and expensive, as is befitting a princess, and were tight on her body, showing off her curves.

She didn't demand any special attention, apologized if she did something wrong, and event tried to help out along the boat ride, displaying a surprising amount of knowledge about sailing.

She was especially friendly with both Helmeppo and himself, talking to them as if they were friends, not people ordered to protect her or face death at the hands of Vice Admiral Garp. Literally.

* * *

When they finally arrived at Mariejois, nothing seemed out of place, and everything seemed peaceful.

When they reached the entrance though, Coby noticed that the guards were a little uneasy in letting them in, but nonetheless opened the doors and saluted the princess as she passed, who smiled warmly at them in return.

They were rounding a corner, just a few hundred yards from their destination when it happened.

A man, likely a pirate, jumped at them, going instantly for the princess.

Coby saw the flash of silver in his hand, and did the first thing that came to mind.

He leaped in front of the princess, _Soru_ allowing him to make it their in time, but not fast enough to catch the knife before the pirate buried it in his stomach.

Burning pain flooded his body, centered at the point where the knife was stuck in him.

Grabbing the man's arm, he kept him from going anywhere, but that simply prompted him to twist the knife in his wound, causing him to scream out in pain.

Helmeppo apparently chose that moment to intervene, kicking the man in the face and sending him flying through the air to be embedded in a wall.

Coby fell over, clutching at the knife in his gut.

He saw Helmeppo with one of his kukri knives at the man's throat, growling at him to stay put.

He saw the princess, crying, put her hands on his wound, earning a hiss of pain from him.

And right before he passed out, he saw her remove her shawl with her bloodstained hands, pressing it around the wound, and heard her scream for help.

Then all was black, and he knew no more.

* * *

Well, that's the first chapter down.

Not as good as I hoped, but we'll see what you guys think.

Rate, Review, Read More, Repeat.


	2. A Friend in Common

_Wait, you're telling me these things don't just write themselves._

_I'm really sorry to everyone who has been waiting for the next chapter, but between school, college applications (fun times), and my other stories (_cringes_) _no bueno.

_I don't own One Piece... yet._

A Friend in Common

Coby awoke to white walls and an almost imperceptible amount of pain.

Realizing he must be in the hospital wing at Mariejois, he finally realized the light snoring just to his left.

Turning his head in that direction, he came face to hair with Princess Vivi.

Inhaling a sufficient amount of the blue locks, he immediately let out a great sneeze, moving himself into a sitting position to avoid showering her with snot.

The sneeze did wake the sleeping princess though, and she rubbed at her eyes as she searched for the source of what awoke her.

Locking onto Coby, her eyes filled with tears. She grabbed his head and crushed him against her chest, Coby's nose finding an adequate amount of blood to let dribble from it.

Discovering that he was having difficulty breathing however, he began flailing about in an attempt to get free, but only succeeded in hitting himself in his wound.

Releasing him after hearing the hiss of pain, Vivi was immediately concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Coby managed to gasp.

Looking her directly in the eye, Coby began questioning her on everything that had happened while he was unconscious.

Vivi informed him (after thanking him profusely while crying her eyes out) that he had been out for two days. The Council of Kings was in it's final two days of meeting, and the pirate that had attacked them had been imprisoned.

"Where did he even come from?" Coby asked.

Vivi seemed uncomfortable at this question, clenching tightly at her clothes as she bit her lip.

"That man," she began, "was a slave of the Celestial Dragons. He managed to escape from his cell, and was attempting to flee from Mariejois, when he came across us."

Coby seemed sickened by the thought of the man being a slave, but his still throbbing knife wound limited his sympathy at the moment.

"Um."

Coby's thoughts were interrupted by the Princess, who had currently taken great interest in the floor.

"I just... really want to apologize for what happened to you, and offer my gratitude as-"

"Don't mention it."

Vivi lifted her head to look at Coby, who had a wide grin set on his face.

He gestured at his wound, "I've gotten worse injuries from training with Vice-Admiral Garp."

"And as for protecting you," he continued. "We were ordered to do just that."

Vivi smiled and wiped at her eyes. "You sound just like someone else I know."

Coby scratched at the back of his head sheepishly and laughed. "Yeah. I guess Luffy has rubbed off on me just a-"

Realizing what he said, Coby slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

Upon hearing "Luffy", Vivi's eyes widened, staring at Coby in surprise.

"You... you...," she stuttered.

"Please don't freak out," he said, already wondering as to how he would manage to keep her silent. "I know it's kind of unorthodox and even unthinkable for a Marine to be friends with-," he began.

"You know Luffy, too." she eventually managed to get out.

Coby blinked in surprise. "Wait... are you friends with Luffy as well?"

Vivi nodded silently, both of her hands covering her mouth as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"He saved my country," she breathed out.

Coby nodded in understanding. "I'd heard that he defeated Crocodile, but I had no idea he knew you personally."

Coby tilted his back to look up at the ceiling. "It's thanks to Luffy that I was even able to join the Marines."

Vivi lowered her hands, wiping the tears from her eyes as she laughed.

She smiled at Coby. "I'd like to hear about that."

Coby grinned back. "I wouldn't mind hearing about the time you spent with him as well."

The next several hours were filled with each of the two's unbelievable tales, both Coby and Vivi providing excellent audiences to the other. They gasped at each shocking moment, laughed at the antics of both Luffy and his crew, and applauded at just the right points of the story.

Vivi had just finished recounting the crew's stay in Alabasta, Coby finding himself short of breath after she told him about the dinner Luffy and everyone had enjoyed.

The laughter seemed to have aggravated his wound though, and he cringed, falling back onto the bed and clutching at the bandages wrapped around his wound, muttering a mixture of obscenities.

Vivi stood up and walked over to the other side of the table, reaching for the bandages and lifting up Coby's shirt.

Coby blushed and tried to question what she was doing, but a quick jolt of pain silenced any words of protest.

Vivi looked at him sympathetically and helped to move him into a sitting position. She unwrapped the bandages from his stomach, replacing them with fresh dressings and ensuring that they would not slip.

Laying him back onto the bed, Coby looked up and managed to gasp out a quick "Thank you".

Vivi made her way to the door of the medical ward, turning to smile at Coby before she opened the door.

"It was nice talking to you, but I think it would be best if we continued this in the morning."

She opened the door and stepped out, but stuck her head back in and whispered a quick "Good night", before closing the door as silently as possible.

Coby smiled despite the pain still present in his body, closing his eyes and drifting into comfortable, painless sleep.

_Well that was short._

_Hopefully the wait between the next chapter will be equally brief._

_Please review, let me know what was good and what was bad, and please check out my other stories if you feel so inclined._


	3. A Hopeful Farewell

_Holy crap. I'm really sorry for how long it took me to get this up. I really appreciate the lack of messages or anything like that urging me to continue (although it probably would have lit a fire under my slow moving ass)._

_So without any further unimportant stuff, here's the conclusion of Above and Beyond._

* * *

A Hopeful Farewell

Coby was out of bed and moving by the next evening and, while the resident doctor wanted him to stay for a little longer, he couldn't take another second of lying around and opted instead to search for a place to stretch his limbs and catch up on the training he had missed.

After much searching and frequent stops to ask for directions, he eventually found the training grounds for the Marines stationed at Mariejois. The area was deserted save for a few men sparring with each other or firing at straw dummies.

Deciding to practice his _Soru _(it was still the only power he knew of the _Rokushiki_), he scratched out two places in the dirt approximately 100 yards apart and prepared to shuttle between them.

Before he could take off though, he was interrupted by a familiar, inquiring voice: "What are you doing?"

His concentration lost, he stumbled and fell forward, eating a large amount of dust.

Spitting out pieces of earth, he turned his head to look in the direction of Nefeltari Vivi, hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"Training," he said matter-of-factly, getting up and dusting himself off.

Vivi rolled her eyes. "I assumed that much. I mean, what are you doing out of the medical ward? Your wounds can't have gotten better that fast."

Coby shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. Like I said, I've had worse and kept going regardless. And if I let this slow me down then I'll only fall further behind my goal."

Vivi seemed desperate now. "That's no excuse to push yourself when you're injured! What if your wound opened up while you were out here! If no one found you, there's a chance you-"

"Don't worry about it," Coby assured, cutting her off. "It's none of your concern."

"IT IS!" she yelled, shocking Coby. She was silent for a while, rubbing her shoulders and glancing around. She finally looked back at Coby and he noticed the tears welling in her eyes.

"You got injured protecting **me**," she said shakily. "If something happened because of that, even after the fact, I'd feel responsible."

She was quiet again, reaching up to wipe away her tears. Coby took that opportunity to reassure her once again.

"There's no reason for you to feel guilty because of what happens to me," he said quietly. "I took this mission knowing the risks involved, and I jumped in front of that pirate aware of the possibilities."

He smiled at her. "If I had the choice, I'd do it again, without a second thought. And not just because I had to."

Vivi gave him a warm smile in return. "I'm not sure how to feel about that, but thank you."

She turned to go. "Well, as long as you promise not to overdo it, I'll allow you to train."

Coby made a show of bowing deeply. "I thank you for your benevolence, Princess."

Vivi turned around long enough to stick her tongue out at him. "Don't call me that. My name is Vivi, and I'd much prefer you call me that."

Laughing slightly, Coby put up his hands as a sign of surrender. "Good night then, **Vivi**."

"Good night, Coby," Vivi responded.

Alone once again, Coby began to train, acutely aware of the silence, and missing the sound of a certain princess's voice.

* * *

The following day marked the end of the Council of Kings. There was no celebration, merely a call to assembly and a general acknowledgment of the event's end.

Less than an hour later, the ships of the various dignitaries had already departed, and only a few remained.

Vivi, her father, and their bodyguards were preparing to leave as well, albeit in a far more cordial and polite manner.

Garp had arrived unexpectedly, cornering both Coby and Helmeppo. He congratulated them on a job well done, giving Coby a particularly hard thump on the back in recognition of his actions, threatening to topple the boy and causing his wound to spasm in pain once again.

Coby, Garp, and Helmeppo escorted Vivi and the rest of Alabasta's representatives to their ship. Cobra and his bodyguards climbed aboard, offering Coby and Vivi one final chance to say goodbye.

She approached him, clothes as beautiful and expensive as the day she met him. They smiled at each other, aware that time was short.

Coby scratched at the back of his head sheepishly, unsure of what to say. "Guess it'll be hard to see each other."

Vivi nodded in agreement. "Yes, but I'm sure we'll meet again."

Coby smile widened. "Yeah. I'll try and keep in touch with-"

He was silenced when Vivi stepped forward, bending slightly to cover his lips with hers. Her hair fanned out, giving them only marginal privacy from their very aware audience.

Vivi pulled away, blushing slightly. She smiled, whispering, "See you soon," before turning to step onto the ship that would take her back to her country.

Coby was unable to move, his face an as yet unknown shade of red that clashed horribly with his pink hair.

Garp seemed torn between congratulating the boy or hitting him for taking such liberty with a royal figure, while Helmeppo made his jealousy clear to anyone within earshot.

As the ship began to pull out and both Garp and Helmeppo tried to pump Coby for answers, the only things he was conscious of were the tingling in his lips – coupled with the taste of strawberries – and Vivi's promise still ringing in his ears.

* * *

_Well that's that. It was a fun ride, and I hope you enjoyed it._

_Depending on how I feel, I'll most likely incorporate this into my main One Piece story_ Questions_, so keep an eye out for that._

_Thanks for reading._


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